It stands to reason that in order to be a better leader, you must first ‘know thyself’. In other words, you must start by understanding exactly what type of leader you are before attempting to become better at what you do.
For example, do you believe in participatory leadership or are you an autocrat? Or do you prefer to delegate tasks to your team? While none of these three main approaches to leadership and their derivatives necessarily impact your ability to motivate or manage a group of individuals, it is important to work within the framework of your management philosophy in order to realise enduring success as a leader.
An autocratic leader is expected to provide clear direction as to the work that is to be performed and when that work should be accomplished. This is a significantly different perspective than that of a delegator, who provides little or no guidance to their team, or a manager who encourages group participation in decision-making.
A participatory approach to management, whereby team members are asked for their input before the ultimate decision is made by the leader, results in more creative and motivated approaches to work, but is not ideal for situations where the leader must make speedy decisions and take decisive action.
A second prerogative, apart from understanding your innate leadership style, is to consider the nature of the work that the group must perform in order to be considered a productive part of the enterprise. For instance, if the day-to-day environment is one that permits thoughtful approaches to problem solving, such as a research department, then the participatory approach may work best, whereas high pressure environments, such as a customer contact centre, require a much more autocratic approach.
By guiding a team to work towards a compelling vision that suggests reward for hard work and endeavour, even autocratic leadership can overcome any feelings of hostility towards an authoritarian approach. Similarly, a participatory leader can inspire others by giving them the freedom to display their talents in a manner that motivates their peers to do likewise.
Regardless of your approach, it is crucial that you are able to display the following traits and characteristics:
